How They Met 2: The Keeper of Secrets
by monkeygirl77
Summary: A look into Raziel's life, certain events that he lived in, that made him who he is. There was a time when Michael had been welcoming and kind, before he was hard and mean, and that had been the time that Raziel loved the most. Then it all came crashing down, years before the fall, when Raziel had a vision, a vision of his family being torn apart, of Lucifer falling.


**Just a little something that came to mind while sitting in the library at school waiting to go pick up my little brother who goes to school right down the street.**

 **And on my phone I was looking over the story I had written a while back called How They Met, and decided to write something going from there to their teenage-hood selves, I hope you like it!**

* * *

 _Raziel_

When Raziel had still been a mere hatchling, he had still been too young and too small to join Michael in his duties, and a training field for soldiers was no place for a hatchling. So while he went to train the soldiers of Heaven, Michael often left his young charge with his brother Lucifer and his little charge Samael. Lucifer had not minded in the slightest, as Michael would happily watch over little Samael when he had to go do his training of the soldiers.

Raziel and Samael had hit it off from the beginning. Quickly, under the watchful eyes of their guardians, the two had become the best of friends.

* * *

Raziel had been a very sweet fledgling, troublesome, but sweet. He didn't cry a lot, in fact he was rather silent at first and that was what made him so troublesome.

At first, Michael had been very against the idea of having a fledgling, basically a hatchling, under his care. Not that he didn't love the fledglings for he did truly it was more due to the fear of not raising him right, as the last angel Michael had raised was Lucifer, they had raised Raphael and Gabriel together. But there was something different about Raziel, he wasn't as needy as the other hatchlings.

All that Raziel basically needed to satisfy himself was contact. As long as Michael held him, then the small blonde babe would be just fine. That being said it was completely normal to see the mighty leader of Heaven's armies cradling a small blue bundle (Raziel's favorite blanket) to his breastplate free chest (as it was a hazard for one so small) while simultaneously over seeing the training of his warriors. And the warriors in training never complained that there was a baby on the training field, in fact, they often looked forward to seeing the small archangel. He was a bright addition to the training exercises and often made Michael less of a stoic commanding leader who called out drills in a frighteningly tight voice, to a leader who was more emotional and often more times then not, trained them with warmth and a smile.

And then Raziel learned to walk.

"No, Raziel, don't touch that"

From above the small toddlers head, Michael pulled his sword Glorious from the small fledglings hands. He had allowed Raziel to come with him to training today, on the promise that he would behave himself, and usually he did, but ever sense his first steps (Michael had beamed about it still even a week after the fact) Raziel was always getting into things he wasn't meant to be getting into. Not that telling him 'no' usually stopped him from doing it again when Michael's back was turned.

Some of the warriors in front of them chuckled lightly under their breath.

"But.. Mikey! I wanna be's like you!"

Michael chuckled with the warriors at Raziel's whine. Gently placing his hand on top of his little blonde head, causing the other warriors to laugh when the young angels face fell into an angered pout.

"Raziel you are still too young to hold a sword"

The young blonde angel growled under his breath and moved angrily out from under his guardian. Michael looked surprised at the motion, as did the silences soldiers.

"No! I wanna be like you!"

Raziel turned to one of the soldiers and held out his tiny hand out towards one of the younger newer soldiers. Michael frowned at the action, Raziel knew he was an archangel, and with the title came command. But this was an abuse of that power.

"Give me your sword so I can be like Mikey"

The young soldier wavered, his eyes flicking between the small fledgling who had the 'archangel voice' down to an art and his guardian who looked a bit shocked and a bit angered at the same time. His hand shook as he slowly reached his sword hand out to the young archangel.

"No, soldier, keep you weapon."

Michael had had enough of this, while he was happy that his little charge wanted to be like him, there was a line when it came to abusing power whilst trying to reach a certain goal. Raziel had pushed passed that line in a matter of seconds. Bending down so he could be on his young charges level, Michael gently turned his head to face him, to look him in the eye.

"Raziel, I understand that you want to use a sword like I do, but you are still too young," Raziel tried to look away angrily but Michael forcefully held him in place, "And if I ever find out that you are using your title to get you way again you will be in big trouble little one"

Raziel looked down, ashamed of his actions. Even a little embarrassed at being scolded in front of the legion. Not to mention he had made Michael angry. He didn't like making Michael angry. Warm hands picked him up from under his arms and he let out a startled noise as he was lifted off the ground.

"How about you help me call out the drills, little one"

He giggled as he wrapped his arms around his older brother's head as Michael placed him on his shoulders, Michael's own hands coming down to hold onto his legs. Slowly turning, mindful of the cargo he now carried, Michael lifted a hand calling the soldiers before the two to attention.

He even let Raziel give the first order.

* * *

When Raziel had learned how to fly, Michael swore he had seen his very life flash before his eyes, now not only was he gone longer and farther, but he was able to get into more thing that small hands such as Raziel's were not meant to be into.

And with the change of age came the change of personality.

With this also came Michael's permission to walk around the grounds as training took place. Under his guardian's ever watchful eye of course.

Raziel stopped in front of a rather young warrior, still at the first stages of his training, who was sparing against an elder warrior. The poor soldier was panting and smudged in dirt as elder warrior kept slamming him in the dirt as he won every attempt at the younger warrior to beat him.

Panting, the young warrior looked up into the young archangels blue eyes. Raziel returned his gaze with an encouraging smile.

"Dude, your face looks like it caught on fire and someone tried to put it out with a hammer"

The young warriors eyes widened in shock and his face flushed in embarrassment at the laughter of the other soldiers surrounding them, and as one even went as far as to lean forward to bump fists with the young blonde archangel.

At the laughter from the warriors instead of the sound of clanking and metal bashing against metal, Michael, who had been talking to Lucifer before handing over the training command to him, turned to see what was happening. His eyes scanned over the gathered warriors until they fell on a very familiar blonde head. Shaking his head at his charges antics, and ignoring Samael as he started to snicker at whatever it was that the warriors were finding absolutely hilarious, Michael unfolded his wings and in one graceful swipe took to the air.

The young warriors eyes widened at who it was that landed behind the small blonde in front of him, the other warriors snapped to attention at the arrival, and Raziel simply took a deep sigh as he slowly slunk around. He smiled sheepishly as Michael crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hey Mike...Hows it shakin bacon?"

With a raised eye brow as his response, Raziel slowly rubbed he back of his neck.

"Raziel, what have I said about antagonizing the new soldiers"

Raziel kicked at the ground as some of the older soldiers, who had known the young blonde since his fledgling hood snickered.

"To not to"

"Right, so what will you do now?"

The young archangels shoulders dropped in defeat at being scolded. Raziel slowly turned around to face the new soldier.

"I'm sorry... That you keep getting your butt handed to you"

As quickly as he had been there, the younger was gone, Michael chuckled shaking his head as he took a half hearted swipe at the younger as he passed by. Turning slowly towards the younger soldier, Michael held out a hand to help him up, the younger took the offered hand a bit nervously to be touching one as legendary as Michael.

"I must apologize for my charge, he means no harm"

* * *

When Raziel had reached the age that most reached when their purpose and power truly set in, the only real indication that he was growing into his position were the unbearable headaches. He also started to see things that others couldn't see, at first, Michael had thought it to be a simply prank being played, but when Raziel had collapsed in a heap in their garden whilst playing with Samael screaming for them all to go away, did Michael actually become alarmed.

When Raziel didn't seem to be getting back up, in fact, he got worse. Screaming in agony and fear at something that the other's couldn't see nor understand, his eyes landing in shock on Lucifer and as he broke down into unbearable sobs at what ever it was he was seeing, Michael scooped him up off the ground. Completely forgetting about heading to Raphael to get his charge checked over, as his screams increased, Michael headed for the one person who could tell them what was wrong.

When He had seen them running into His throne room, God had immediately dismissed Metatron with a gentle wave of His hand, and gave His undivided attention to the younger two left in His wake. He looked even a bit concerned as Raziel's wails made their way to His ears.

"Father, please, he just started screaming! He is in pain and I do not know how to stop it!"

Michael cared for his young charge, that much was clear, and inside it made Him glad. For He knew why Raziel was screaming and sobbing, what the young Secret Keeper was seeing and when that day did come to pass His oldest angel was going to need his little charge by his side, to pull him back, to fix him.

Slowly God rose from His seat and made His way down to where they stood. Gently taking His Secret Keeper from the arms of his guardian, He asked the distraught angel to do the unthinkable. He asked him to leave them for a moment. It took a long second to get Michael to leave Raziel here with Him, alone, in pain. But Michael trusted his Father (and when it came down to it, if He were to harm his sweet little fledgling, it wasn't like there was anything Michael could do about it).

Slowly and softly He turned back to sit on His throne, cradling young Raziel in his lap. Seeing through the haze momentarily, Raziel grasped at his Father's arm, his hands shaking in fear, and in pain. Gently, He raised a hand and smoothed His young archangel's wild curls back.

"Raziel, Little One, you need to control it"

"I..I-I can't!"

"Yes, you can, focus on something Raziel, a face or a memory"

"I...I-I..It's to hard!"

"Think of one Little One, a happy one"

With a little difficulty, Raziel tumbling mind was able to finally produce for him a happy memory, one that included them all, his elder brothers and fellow charges, where they had all gone down to Earth together to visit the latest creation, and they had all went swimming in the Pacific Ocean, or what would be a Pacific Ocean, as their guardians sat in the sand, watching them and laughing with them. It had been a fun moment,one that even had Him smiling at as He saw it.

Slowly, focusing on this memory, Raziel eventually regained control of his mind and himself. He became aware clearly that he was no longer in their garden with Samael, Michael, and Lucifer... He grimaced at what he remembered seeing, what he remembered Lucifer had done. He looked down at him in concerned sadness, realizing that although his thoughts were stable now, that His son must still remember what he had seen. God resisted the urge to flinch at the horror in the young blondes eyes as he looked back up at Him.

"Dad...What was that? What's Luci gonna do?"

Raziel had not been supposed to see that, and it was something that He was sure would haunt the young archangels thought for a _very_ long time. As soon as He had created humanity He had known what would become of Lucifer, what His second eldest son would do, and He couldn't imagine the horror that someone as young as Raziel must have felt when he had seen what was to become of his elder brother. Gently helping the young archangel up into a more comfortable position upon his lap God slowly tried to help the youngster, and to get him to promise not to tell anybody, he was not even meant to know this, not yet.

"Raziel you must promise me that you will never mention to anyone what you have just seen"

Raziel's silver eyes bore into his, his gaze hardening. Most would agree immediately with Him, fearing his wrath should they not do as He told them to. But that's what made Raziel different, he was not scared of his Father in that way to not challenge him, especially after witnessing what he had witnessed. Not after that.

"Father, tell me what it was! What will Lucifer do!"

God sighed, and while He knew that He should have been a bit angry that His son was ordering Him to do things, He also knew that Raziel did have sort of have a right to know the truth behind what he had seen. So, taking a deep sigh, God told him.

He told him everything.

"He will not like the humans, he will disobey Raziel, and because of this he will be banished from Heaven, locked inside of the cage that will be made in Hell."

Raziel looked shocked, obviously not expecting that as his answer.

"W-what?"

"Your elder brother will be banished. He will one day become known as Satan"

"B...B-But... Dad you have to stop it! Don't let it happen!"

God sighed, as much as it hurt Him to admit it, there was nothing He could do. His hands were tied.

"It...It does not work that way Raziel, it was foretold, there is no stopping it"

Raziel scrambled off his Father's knee, shocked. God made to follow him, to stop him from telling the others. But the young archangel was able to evade him. Until he was grabbed around the waist and hoisted into the air, feeling much like that tiny babe he had been, cradled there in his Father's arms, because compared to his Father, Raziel was the size of a babe. Gently carrying him back to His throne, God sat up on, making sure to keep the little archangel trapped in His hold. Giving up on the thought of escaping, Raziel let out a defeated sigh, resigning himself to laying limp against his Father's chest.

"Raziel, I understand that you do not want this to pass, do not think that I want it to be so either, but we can not change it for it must happen. You cannot tell anyone, I need your word Raziel, that you will tell no one"

There was a long silence in which God gently rocked his arms to gain His young son's attention. Finally Raziel gave Him his word.

"I will not tell anyone Father, I give you my word, but I want it known that I do not like it"

God chuckled as He leaned back in His seat, puling Raziel back with him, earning a small laugh from the obvious distraught archangel, and he had good reason to be.

"However, now that you have grown into your title, My Little Keeper of Secrets, it is time to begin your training"

* * *

The day that what was foretold came true, Raziel felt like a million little pieces being scattered to the wind. Just like he had foreseen all that time ago, Lucifer had betrayed them, he had went into The Garden, he had made His greatest most treasured creations commit sin, and as punishment to his crime, Lucifer was to be banished.

And by Michael no less.

When the orders had come down of what Michael, his loving guardian, was to do to their brother something inside the man had broken. Raziel was forced to remember a time when his Father had told him during one of his training sessions that when that day did come that Michael was going to need him more then ever. Raziel was not the smartest, still very young, barely out of his fledgling years, but he could tell that his brother was breaking.

Michael was broken.

But there was nothing that Raziel could do to stop it, as his promise to his Father still stood, and so he found himself standing there next to Samael (who was sobbing uncontrollably in Gabriel's hold) and his other two brothers; Raphael and Gabriel. Watching as Michael led Lucifer in chains, bloody and beaten, to the pit. To be banished forever more. Raziel's eyes widened when Samael finally broke free from Gabriel's grasp, much to the elders dismay, and ran as fast as he could towards his eldest two brothers.

As he came to sliding stop in between the two.

As he said something to Michael, as Raziel watched his oldest brothers shoulders quake but his face harden as he shook his head.

As Lucifer looked up, said something to which Michael nodded at, and for a moment, let Lucifer say goodbye. He watched, frozen next to Gabriel, as Lucifer caressed his face gently, leaned forward to press his lips gently against Samael's forehead. Michael gave the chain a gentle but firm tug, and Raziel watched as his best friend fell to his knees in utter defeat. He watched as Michael had to banish their brother, as Gabriel let tears fall silently from his eyes, as Raphael's face hardened into something it wasn't, as Michael stood at the edge his shoulder hunched staring down into the abyss.

Long after everyone had left, Samael eventually being scooped up by Gabriel as him and Castiel made their departure, Raziel was left the only one to watch as Michael's strong facade broke and the eldest angel fell to his knees. Silver eyes looked towards to clouds above as small droplets of water continuously splashed onto his face, the weather having changed in accordance to Michael's emotions. He ignored the way his hair was drenched and the bright blonde ringlets were darkened as they hung limply from his head, as he made his way forward to stand behind his older brother.

Placing a hand on Michael's shoulder, he felt the muscles in his brother's shoulders tense under his touch, before a gentle warm hand came up to close around his own smaller one.

"Raz...Do you think we could have seen this coming?...That if we had known we could have stopped it?"

It took him longer to answer his older brothers question, which did not go unnoticed by Michael as he slowly turned to face his young charge. Raziel blinked once, twice, before shaking his head and looking out over the abyss, the screams of his fallen brother still ringing in his ear from his fall into the darkness.

"No...It could not have been changed...It was foretold..."

It was then, in that moment, that Michael got the feeling that Raziel knew more then he ever let on about. And in that moment, that Raziel's heart finally broke into tiny little pieces.


End file.
